UPS Ruined The Fun

I love me some holiday cards. Every day since Thanksgiving I’ve been eagerly running down to our mailbox, hopeful there will be cards addressed to the family. Believe me when I say that if there isn’t a card, my day gets a little dimmer (dudes, I don’t have a job, remember? It’s the small pleasures!).

The last two years were too crazy to send holiday cards, so I wanted to make sure I made a splash with our cards this year. Or, at the very least, improve on the last card we sent out in 2005.

The text below the photo said, “kiss me at midnight!”

It took me almost two hours to get that shot, so you can imagine how skeptical Mike was when I told him what I was planning to attempt for this year’s card. But before I get to that, I have to show you our GROWN UP card. You see, some people didn’t appreciate the picture of Rigby on her way to a New Year’s party (I don’t name names, but if you know his mom’s name you can insert it here). I had the opportunity to design and review cards through Minted.com (you can see my review at Hot Mom Reviews), but I had to have my cards done by October. I wasn’t really in the creative holiday mood at that point, so I went with this perfectly lovely design.

It’s nice. Mike’s mom loves it.

Anyway, this year’s card is my favorite. Of course, I don’t know if I will ever actually send them out, since UPS keeps saying they attempted to deliver the cards, and I keep saying that they are flat out LYING. But I digress.

I thought it would be impossible to get Rigby to stay still long enough for the pictures. I was wrong. Rigby allowed me to put all sorts of accessories and costumes on her, without even trying to run away. Rigby got LOTS of treats that day.

Madeline, on the other hand…she was not as agreeable. That is why you don’t work with animals OR babies.

I’d hoped to show the card on the internet today, but thanks to FREAKING UPS, I’m holding off. I want everyone to be surprised when they open their envelopes. So hopefully UPS will stop making up lies and deliver my freaking cards already!

LOVE both – would love to see the “fun” card. Damn UPS. I’ve had my *own* issues with them. (Oh, like the time I started getting bills for some California company’s shipping. No lie. I shipped something, ONCE via UPS online and in return I got MONTHS worth of phone calls trying to prove I wasn’t this company and I wasn’t in CA. Dudes, I’m in WI, OK? Apparently my “shipper #” was close to theirs. BAH!)

I don’t know, it doesn’t seem to get easier to take holiday photos as they get older. I about had to kill mine to get my shot. But you know, the shot of three dead children wouldn’t have put anyone in the holiday spirit.

But, uh, wait till Maddie’s a teenager. Trying to send a photo holiday card will actually be harder, because she will whine, complain, and then scrutinize every single photo until you give up. (It finally happened this year, with two stepsisters who are extremely picky about photos, we’re going with regular cards this year).

I never sent cards until a few years ago. Dusty Baker had been recently named the manager of the Cubs and he came to a 49ers game and I took a photo with him on the sideline and that was my Xmas card. The next year it was Mark Grace. And then Mike Ditka. Last year, Jerry Rice.

You can see why my list is 140 people. And the pressure to run into famous people every year is OVERWHELMING!